Activity 2

ACTIVITY TWO GOAL: CONTROL – moving forward
-> Master the Forward Command by moving the Bee-Bot to a specified location.

Rules are needed to prevent chaos. How far do you want to go?

Rules:

The students on the corners of the mat are the navigators-observers; the students on the edges are the drivers. Show the pair programming video at https://studio.code.org/s/course1/stage/3/puzzle/1. Tell students that they will not be using a desktop computer like shown in the video, but using the Bee-bot that has a computer inside that is programmed to perform tasks.

Use only the Forward, Clear, and Go commands.

The Bee-bot is placed on a square on the edge and parallel to the lines on the mat in one of the columns formed by the grid.

Input forward commands to go to a specified letter:

Have a navigator student pick a letter.

The driver writes or says the sequence of steps (algorithm). Note command cards can be used.

The driver will input the forward commands to get to that letter.

Process the Bee-Bot commands:

Place the robot where it will go in a straight line to the specified letter.

Students can practice this by walking in a straight line and counting their steps.

The driver pushes the GO command.

Output Observation– watch what the Bee-Bot(s) does.

Watch – did the Bee-Bot go to the correct letter?

Watch – when using more than one Bee-Bot did they bump into each other?

Feedback Discussion

How many forward commands did you input?

If the Bee-Bot did not go to the correct letter, how did you debug the problem?

Can you play until everyone gets a chance to go to their favorite letters? Trade places between being the navigator and driver.

Did any letters get left out?

Assessment: See if every student in the group has mastered using the forward command by asking them to go to a letter of your choice. Students can check each other. Note: It is essential to master this small step before adding more commands. Just like in solving math problems, need to master understanding addition before starting subtraction.